These are a few of my favorite things....

Thought I would share some of my favorite things in my home...

 

This is a fantastic vase that sits in my bedroom, I love the detail.

 

Besides burlap and galvanized metal, I also have this thing for antique electric clocks. I scored this one for a mere $10 and it works!

 

This is the best way ever to keep ties and belts organized for the hubby, while still keeping it stylish. 

 

This is an amazing oval shaped table with a marble top that was once my grandparents and before that, my Great Aunt's. It is way scuffed up and beat up and the marble is dirty, but I love it anyway, it makes the perfect nightstand for me.

 

Scored this photo frame for only $3! It complements this picture perfectly.

 

I love chandeliers in places besides the obvious, like the dining room. I always scour Craigslist and ReStore for these things. This one was that ugly 1980s brass style. It was only $15 and one can of satin black spray paint later.....I did get lectured for breaking another globe on a chandelier though by a salesclerk, while diving for this one....it was so worth it...

More favorite things to come later....

Hello Color!!

I am absolutely LOVIN my new kitchen curtains! Remember the amazing fabric I bought last weekend? You can read about it here. Well, I made those curtains last night and bam, instant color in the kitchen! 

Let me just say it again, I LOVE THEM!!! I even had some fabric left over for pillows for the couch!! Yay!! My dark brown couch desperately needs color and pattern, so these pillows seriously help! Way excited to make more out of the other fabric too!

I plan on making matching curtain panels for my sliding doors out of my dining room as well! Maybe we can conquer that on this MUCH needed looooong weekend!

Toodles!

Inspiration.....

I heart fabric stores....My plan yesterday was to go when I woke up, but my hubby's bathroom reno was causing some delays, more about that later. Anyways, the store I wanted to go to was closed when I got there so I went to Hancock Fabrics instead. I was looking for something to make curtains with for my kitchen window....I hit the jackpot!

I fell in love with the yellow floral and bird print on the left, this will be my curtain fabric. The other three fabrics were remnants, about a yard each for only $4 a pop! Hello, pillows! My living room and bedroom definitely need some pattern and I think I found it!

Burlap Entry Bench.....Kinda....

I have this serious obsession with burlap. Yes, burlap. That really itchy fabric that potatoes and coffee beans come in. But I don't want unused burlap, nope, I want burlap with character. I found these two stools at the Insyde Outsyde Shop for only $5 a piece (a steal), back in June.

 I had no idea what I was going to do with these stools, all I knew was they were $5 and I certainly was not going to pass them up, even if our house reno was in full swing and they would pile up in the basement for months. One day, while perusing Lowe's Garden Department, I noticed this pile of burlap bags sitting behind the registers. They were begging me to ask for them. Having to have them immediately Feeling bad they didn't have a home, I asked the clerk if they were going to throw the bags away. She said the bags had been there for weeks and I could have them if I wanted with a extremely puzzled look smile on her face. I quickly scooped them up and walked out with them as Andy rolled his eyes. I had been thinking the two stools might create a bench together for my entryway. The burlap bags sealed the deal. I raced home, painted the stools black and the seats recovered that night. Even better was that the bags had writing on them!!! The result.......

And the whole entryway.....

Not too shabby for $5 stools...... And, yes, I purposefully turned one bag sideways and the other off center.....I have character and I fully expect my furniture to have it too!!

The Despicable Red $8 Ottoman

I bought an ugly, disgusting red ottoman. Not pretty fire engine red, but ugly burnt red. Ugh. I cringe just thinking about its previous state. See for yourself...

 

I bought it last weekend at the new thrift store I stalked until it opened stumbled upon. The same place where I purchased the once hideous owls, which you can read about here. I was making my second loop around the store when this caught my eye from underneath a table. I immediately dived picked it up. It was absolutely horrendous. But, it had good bones. And if anything has good bones, I can put the makeup on it to make it fabulous. Plus it was eight-freakin-dollars?!!! Really, how could I not pass it up?! So, I lugged it out of the car and up the steps to my living room. I had already plotted as to where it would live. This big, comfy, chair needed a footrest. Even the hubby had said so...

After determining, that yes, indeed, I was correct, this would fit perfectly, I drug Grunt Labor and Kareem to Hobby Lobby for fabric for a slipcover. They were so excited to go!

I went with the same canvas type fabric on my dining room chairs. Everything at my house has to be durable with a coach and multiple boys running in and out. I am not good at calculating how much fabric I will need of anything, so I just guessed. Well, ok, I attempted to calculate how much, but it wasn't going so hot and the boys were ready to eat...so I guessed three yards. I WAY overestimated! After coming home and flipping the ottoman over multiple times to cut a pattern and then determine the best way to make a slipcover, I came up with this....

Quite boring, right? It is more of a linen color, than white, but my camera wasn't cooperating.  Anywhoo, it still needed something. And I love paint. So, why not paint the canvas. I went to the garage, scrounged up my box of 122 20 paint samples and found the perfect color to paint it...Charlestown Blue.

And as for all that leftover fabric.....I am seeing blue striped pillows in my near future...

Let's talk about owls......

I am currently in love fascinated with owls. Such a strange and mysterious animal....perhaps we have similarities. So, while thrifting this weekend, I happened upon a thrift store that I have not conquered before. It was piled high with junk, boxes upon boxes of junk. In fact, this place had so much junk, they were having a $5 a box sale. You get as much in a box as you can and its $5. I was in heaven. Within two minutes, I had spotted these wonderful little creatures........

 Freaky, right? But I knew there was potential, even as my husband and Kareem laughed in my face about them. One can of white satin spray paint and an hour later.......

 I have white owls!!! Aren't they fabulous and mysterious? The top one now greets everyone as they enter the house. The smaller one doesn't have a home yet...but I'm thinking he will live in my craft room eventually.

Weekend Thrifting

I was soooo excited to finally be able to do some much needed thrifting this past weekend! First, I hit up one of my all time favorite stores, The Insyde Outsyde Shop, Victoria always has great finds! There, I got two fabulous white dishes which will be hung on the wall when my husband isn't looking, some sort of round wooden board, perhaps an old cutting board and a fantastic metal basket, even though I promised my husband I wouldn't bring any more metal baskets or any galvanized metal pieces home! Whoops!

What will I do with the strange wooden board and metal basket, you ask????? Hmmm....that's a good question. I'm thinking the wooden board would add some rustic charm to my kitchen propped up on the counter...perhaps.

The metal basket....I must admit, I am a metal basket junkie.......see......

I LOVE the old gym locker baskets. I pick them up anytime I see them. They are great for having by the door to throw random things in! 

 Even my husband loves this one...I snagged it for $2 at a yard sale! It stays by my couch so we can snuggle up with a blanket on chilly nights.

 Pretty sure this one is from an old freezer...it has been awesome for storing books in.

 I must admit, this one was a splurge for me....$20...and its not vintage....its from Pottery Barn, but I really needed something for my coffee table and nothing says "Jenna" like metal! 

So, since it seems I am overflowing with metal baskets the home for the new is yet to be determined....I'm thinking it will have a special place in my craft room........which is a long way from being done....but that's a different post. 

Hey there!

Hi! I'm ecstatic that you decided to stop by my blog! I'm a teacher, but a wanna be interior designer. Decorating is my passion. For my 12th birthday, I didn't ask for new clothes or jewelry or any of the things most 12 year old girls would be interested in, nope, not me. My way before my time dork self asked for Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Design. It's been an addiction ever since. I would rearrange my room and paint stars on the walls while my mother slept. Much better to ask for forgiveness than permission has always been my motto.

Unfortunately, HGTV still hasn't caught up with my decorating diva self. But, until then, I would love to share with you some of my ideas, makeovers and projects I have done, am doing and will do. Once you get started, its a never-ending process, but if you are cool like me, you're gonna love it! Grab your tools and some paint!

-Jenna